NYC Bike Share Equipment Damaged By Hurricane Sandy; Another Delay A Possibility

New York City's dreams of a hosting a bike-share program to rival those in DC and Boston appear to have been sidelined, once again.

Hurricane Sandy, with its widespread devastation caused by high winds and unprecedented flooding, refused to show mercy on the program, damaging bicycles, docking stations, and other pricey equipment stored inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The New York Times spoke to the city's transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan who said, "We’re working on it. We had six feet of water in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.”

However, transportation officials would not comment on whether the storm's wreckage would place yet another delay to the program's slated March 2013 start, which is already months after its initial roll-out date of summer 2012.

The first delay was blamed on "software issues."

When plans for the program were announced in 2011, the bike share system garnered much excitement from cyclists and even attracted a big-time corporate sponsor, Citibank.

But several groups have admonished against the program, citing safety precautions that could result in fatalities if not heeded.

Expecting the system to launch last summer, bicycle advocacy group Transportation Alternative discussed various measures to promote safe bike-riding.